The Game's Players
by TheScarletPanda
Summary: It was just a game. Just a way to pass the time. It might have been sick, but that was the nature of their city. Once you're a player you can never truly leave. The city would simply find its way to get you to keep playing. So was the nature of their beautiful city. (warning: foul language at times)
1. Chapter 1: A New Player?

The sky was an endless bright blue abyss over the city. It gave a sense that Ikebukoro was a normal place where nobody lived extraordinary lives. A while ago you could swear the city felt like it was caving in on itself with the gang wars. Then one day the rigid grip that was holding them went away and they were put into the ordinary. Things like gang wars, The Slasher, and the Headless Rider that were all common place turned into urban myths. The storm left a quaint scene in its wake. Nearly a week after everything happened and despite the nice vibes he just couldn't accept it. No, this peace wouldn't last long. No peace did in Ikebukuro and he knew it. Apparently he was the only one who thought so. Everybody else is going about this like all those years of strange occurrences were just some sort of fever dream. He often wondered if everybody else was just lying to themselves. They were all in needlessly good spirits. To the point where he just couldn't ignore it. Maybe he was just turning into a cynical old man. Nethertheless he tried to stay positive for his own sanity.

People quickly moved out of his way hoping not to aggravate him most likely. Others tried to walk casually but seemed stiff probably expecting him to explode in their face for no particular reason. He'd admit that he did look a bit more haggard than usual he had barely had enough time to fix his hair in the morning. Maybe the hair sticking up every which way and irritable expression from lack of sleep made him look more scary than usual. No this was normal, many people tried to stay away from him. It would be weird if they didn't it had nothing to do with his appearance. He could look like the Dalai Lama and people would still be wary of him because of his strength. But everybody seemed on edge, like more than he was use to. Was it because of that stupid gang fight he had gotten into that past week. Yeah, that made sense. It didn't make the situation any less annoying though and for the sake of others and the surrounding property he pretended that he didn't notice. What else could he do? Just pretend that all of this had nothing to do with him.

He fished out his cigarette box from his pants pocket. Hoping it would take off the edge from the heavy atmosphere. There were only two left. A feeling of dread consumed him as he blankly stared at the nearly empty box. He would have to set the clock earlier and get some tomorrow. He shuddered at the thought, not surprisingly Shizuo Heiwajima was not exactly a morning person. He could save them for later. Oh yeah as if he would be able to get through this sea of tension without some form of release. '_I guess there's no other choice'_ he shook the feeling off and slowly put one of the cigarette butts to his lips. He quickly pocketed the nearly empty box into his pocket and fumbled for his lighter. As the flame met the end a rush of nicotine overcame him and he felt a sense of relief. It wasn't exactly a healthy form of escape but it was one of the only ones that worked for him. Plus its kind of hard to worry about your health when you seem practically invincible.

Although as he went back on his way his new limp had abruptly taken the euphoric feeling swimming in his head away. He was swiftly brought back into reality. What a pain. He remembered Shinra trying to tell him to just stay home and rest, that his injuries would take time to heal. It was hopeless though he knew Shizuo ever since they were kids and he knew that despite his words Shizuo would stubbornly refuse to listen to reason. Shizuo found the whole the thing nonsensical, he knew his body and he knew it could take a beating like no other. He had broken it a million times before what's one more time gonna hurt. Besides it wasn't even that painful he had been through far worse, what did Shinra know anyway.

His eyebrow twitched in annoyance over Shinra not to mention all of these assholes who were waiting for him to snap so they could run away in a panic. You know because that never gets old. Why can't people just mind their own damn business and leave him alone for once. Okay, deep breaths no need to start a scene here. That's just what they expect anyway. Just calm down and let the nicotine work its magic. He clenched his fists and took a ragged breath inhaling the contents of the cigarette and willed his body to relax. It worked for the most part so he continued to Tom and his meeting spot.

**DRRR!**

"Kinda early for a smoke, don't ya think?" a voice said taking him out of his doldrums. It was Tom. Had he really been walking that long? He hadn't even realized he made it the spot being too busy trying not to unleash his fury on random civilians. Maybe he was more out of it then he thought he was.

Shizuo shrugged in response not wanting to explain the situation to his employer. Work would be a good distraction anyway. Tom seemed to get the message as they went on their daily route. The limp was getting annoying to walk with though making him a lot slower. He was practically dragging his leg along with him making a scuffing sound on the pavement with each step he took. Tom seemed to notice Shizuo's struggling when he peered back to see his bodyguard was grinding his teeth into his cigarette in frustration trying to catch up.

He had gotten that injury a while ago but never bothered explaining from where. The first day was hell and a lot of people paid for his frustrations both figuratively and literally. Come to think of it maybe this wasn't so bad for business. Tom shuddered at the memory of his bodyguard unleashing maximum fury on everyone who got on his bad side. He particularly remembered not being able to stop him as the rampage almost getting some people killed. Yeah maybe not. He waited for him to catch up and tried to walk at a slower pace so they wouldn't lose each other in the sea of people.

"You alright?" he asked the blonde as they waited for the signal to cross the street. In retrospect he should have known Tom wouldn't just ignore it. He wondered if he could... Shizuo tried to balance on both his feet slightly leaning his body to the left. The dull pain that shot through his body put him right back into his previous position. Once again his body failed to listen to him at all. The sensation left behind a soreness like the ones you get from walking for hours on end. His body was taking most of the pain that he had gotten use to long ago. It was his mind that was willing him to press on like he did so many times when he was younger. It was the same thing that got him to Shinra's and Celty's apartment that night. However, that was in the beginning and he probably opened these gunshot wounds more times then he would likely admit. Needless to say it was taking its toll. He couldn't wait for his break just so he could rest both his legs and maybe get something sweet to take his mind off of the terrible start to his day.

"I'm fine." he responded flatly. Trying not to sound frustrated with his body not complying. Tom kept sneaking glances at him to make sure he was telling the truth. It made Shizuo feel pretty uncomfortable. He was supposed to be protecting him not worrying him. That coupled with the soreness and his useless bent up cigarette leaving a gross taste in his mouth (not to mention now he only has one left for the entire day).

"Let's just get through this." he added sounding slightly annoyed despite himself. Silence followed and Shizuo wondered if he should have just let the conversation happen if nothing more than to pass the time.

"Don't worry today won't be too difficult." Tom reassured. Shizuo nodded in response, relieved to see he didn't sour the air between them with his not so gentle demeanor. Good, because today was going to be a long day and the sooner it ends the better.

There seemed to be a crowd gathering across the street. The people whispering behind him not so subtly made the vein on his forehead pulse with rage. He tried to recede inward to avoid any incidents. Was this light ever going to change!

"Wonder what's going on." his employer ventured. Who cares it's probably just somebody putting on an act or something trying to get money from tourists. Wait some people are scattering, a fight? Great, if it was a bunch of idiots trying to prove how tough they were they would probably challenge him. He would have to kick their asses to Shinjuku to teach them a lesson while everybody would gather to see who would dare challenge Ikebukoro's strongest man. He was really not in the mood for that.

The signal to walk flashed just when he wished it hadn't. As they made their way to the crowd the sense of dread made a reappearance and overcame the blonde knowing he was walking into yet another fight. As they made it closer he tried to think of ways to avoid the encounter. Blending in was out of the question he was way too easy to spot even in a crowd thanks to his bleached blonde hair and strange attire. Just ignore them? Come on that never works, people who try to egg him on are the type of people who get him pissed off the most. There's no escaping this is there. The bodyguard sighed accepting defeat '_Fine let's just get this over with.' _

Some delinquent looking teen with a yellow headband fell out of the crowd making Shizuo and Tom stop dead in their tracks. '_Here it comes.'_ The kid seemed to be quite shaken up but despite expectation he didn't seem to notice the two men. He instead looked forward in a daze trying to say something but he kept choking on the words. Shizuo was this close to telling him to get to the point before he got pissed off to when something unexpected happened.

"It's the mask..." the young man strangled out before running away with his group of yellow toting hoodlums. Then everything seemed to make sense. '_So that's what this is about.'_ He thought people were just on edge about him because of his obvious injuries. Thinking he could snap at anyone who even questioned if he was still the strongest man but now it made sense. The mask was back. Just when things in the city seemed to die down the city brought yet another player into its twisted game. He was right. He just didn't expect a reappearance.


	2. Chapter 2: First Meeting

**Author Notes:** Ok heads up, when you see a **DRRR! **that means there's a passage of time. When you see a character's name in the same style for example: **Celty!.** That means it is a change of pov. Also by the time chapter one was released this chapter was almost done. That being said it's a pretty long chapter and let's just say don't expect a long Chapter 3 (that's not a give in it depends). This was a hell of a ride to write, you have no idea. I won't waste any more of your time.

The setting sun brought a sort of ethereal glow to the city that he'd always admired. He wasn't very vocal about it but he'd have to admit that this was his favorite time of day. As the final bell rang in Raira, the halls filled with students trying to find their friends to go out on the town. It seemed perfect in a way. Like the inevitable future seemed so far away. Their youth would last forever and they would roam these halls alongside friends for the rest of their days. The only thing that would have completed this picture were soft cherryblossom petals swaying in the breeze, as a normal boy and a normal girl would meet and somehow fall in love underneath the trees' lovely visage. But spring had come and gone and such a cheesy wistful thought seems stupid to him now. Ok it would've felt stupid regardless of the weather. Shizuo Heiwajima was not a normal boy. He's not currently walking through a sea of pink petals and all the 'normal' girls seem scared shitless of him.

Well then, that little fantasy died pretty quickly, huh? Yep everyone was gathering up their stuff to go home and here he was, hiding in the bathroom trying to avoid Shinra. Normal isn't the word he'd use to describe himself at this particular moment.

How did he end up here? Well it all started when he was English class. At first he wasn't really paying attention as usual, but then his blood seemed to run cold as he heard those accursed words. **Group Project. **At that point he escorted himself out before the groups were even assigned. Even as Hirogane sensei called out to him he didn't bother to give an explanation, hoping that in some way he'd understand.

Working in a group didn't really seem like a good idea for a super strong guy with the patience of- well nothing cause patience isn't even a word in his vocabulary. In a way he was doing all of them a favor by not being there to have destroy half the school in his frustration of not being able to comprehend the foreign language. It wasn't like his genius intellect would've helped them out anyway. School wasn't exactly his forte and people were even lower on the list of things he was good at. He would just be holding them back.

At least that's what he told himself. To be honest he felt a little guilty about doing it. In the end his grades would falter and his parents wouldn't be too happy about it. But he needed to get out of there before the damage was done and no amount of apologizing would wash out this feeling of guilt. '_But what about Kasuka, this isn't setting a very good example for your little brother, is it?'_ Shut up, Kasuka knows better than to follow under his lousy older brother's example. With the thought Shizuo let out a big sigh. Once again Kasuka would have to suffer for his stupid sibling's own recklessness.

As the students gathered their belongings, the tall blonde tried to peek through a small window in the bathroom to find his annoying acquaintance. It wasn't a question of whether Shinra knew of Shizuo's little stunt or not, he was certain that he knew. Rumors about him spread like wildfire around the school and whether they were true or not thanks to Shinra's social personality he would always hear them sooner or later. No matter how farfetched the rumor was he would always tease Shizuo about it. Which only managed to illicit an angry remark from him or sometimes a warning glare when he wasn't in the mood to reprimand Shinra for his stupid comments. Shinra would end up apologizing a thousand times for his teasing and trying to find a bunch of new ways to back pedal out of the situation he brought himself into. Shizuo would just tell him to shut the hell up and not do it again. It was a tedious cycle he had to bear for most of his life thanks to Shinra's constant happy-go-lucky presence. And frankly it tired him out.

Ah, there he is. A messy head of hair was spotted from the second floor bathroom window. From the weird turns he was taking and the way his hair was moving side to side as if in search for something it was pretty obvious that he was looking for Shizuo. '_Well he's gonna have a hell of a time finding me'_' a mischievous smirk found its way onto his face. Freedom was so close he could taste it.

And, wait he's just standing there. Oh god. Is he gonna wait there for him. The smirk that was previously plastered onto his face was replaced with a look of horror. How long would he have to stay in this bathroom? Possibly forever cause he sure as hell isn't going out there to anytime soon.

'_C'mon just leave already' _he rolled his eyes at the thought, was he seriously pleading and to Shinra of all people. Shinra the annoying pain in his ass. It struck his pride and there was only one way to fix the feeling. No matter what happens he would'nt sucumb to Shinra's little game. The idiot is probably out there giggling up a storm for having tricked him. The very thought made Shizuo feel that familiar bubbling anger rising into his chest.

'_Ok, stay calm he can't wait out there forever can he?' _Even if he did Shizuo would stay here ten times as long, twenty times as long. If Shinra honestly thinks he's getting away with this then he's got another thing coming. There is no way Shizuo would allow such nonsense. Sure he let Shinra get away with some things. Seeing as he was one of the only people who stuck by his side. Even though Shizuo hated to admit it, Shinra is a person he'd want to have around. Yeah he was a little weird and the whole dissection thing was not really something Shizuo wanted to comment about. In a strange way he was somewhat 'grateful'. But he sure as hell wasn't going to just let him get away with openly challenging him. Let alone the very concept of him winning said challenge. A tingle ran up Shizuo's spine. No, his pride was too large to let that happen. All he could do now is outwait him.

Just then his prayers were answered in the form of his far less annoying acquaintance. The corner of his lips turned upward as his previous anger faded. Kadota you are a life saver.

**Shinra!**

He couldn't say he was surprised when he heard about Shizuo's grumpiness that day. He didn't really seem that 'cheerful' this morning after all. Ok it was hard to pick out a morning where he was particularly cheerful, but come on there had to be at least one. Maybe his mind was getting fuzzy with all the learning he did that day.

Right now the only thing he wanted to do was go home and be with his dear sweet Celty. Of course there was always the downside of her treating him like a child, but one day that would all change. One day she would find that love just as he had and there would be nothing to separate them. Just the thought of her made his heart soar and he sighed in pure bliss. Having them sink only moments later.

But of course he had to go help Shizuo try to bring amends with his constant social problems. Don't get him wrong he didn't mind helping Shizuo. They've known each other for most of their lives and as far as he knew he was one of the blonde's only friends. Helping him was like a civic duty. If there was a friend handbook then this sort of thing should be in the first chapter. Let's just say his Celty time was his most valuable time and he would rather be by her side than looking for his recluse friend. Let the lords of friendship strike him down but getting Celty to love him would remain his top priority.

As he scanned the huge swarm of people for a really tall, blonde, pissed off guy he found no such he'd looked all throughout the growing crowd of students and came out empty handed. Only finding a handful of blondes and none of them were nearly as tall or pissed off enough. He'd just about given up and decided to wait for him at the school gates. He couldn't have missed him, he stuck out a little too much for that to be remotely possible. He was probably waiting him out trying to dodge Shinra's daily lesson on how to be a social butterfly part ten thousand. _'Well too bad grumpypants class is in session so don't be thinking you'll be skipping out on this like you did english.' _He let out a quiet laugh at the thought of a distressed Shizuo realizing that his brilliant escape plan had failed.

"What are you doing?" he turned to find his newest friend.

"Oh hey Kadota-kun," he smiled warmly toward him, " just waiting for Shizu-chan to quiet down from his tantrum so we can walk home together." His smile widened at his use of his grumpy friend's not so beloved nickname.

" You shouldn't call him that when he gets down here, we don't want a repeat of what happened the last time a certain somebody called him that."

Shinra shook his hands in the air as if dispelling the ridiculous idea "Don't be silly I'd have to be suicidal to ever say that to him in person. Besides Izaya was just messing around."

Kyohei cocked his eyebrow at his eccentric classmate. " Yeah I don't think 'messing' with Shizuo-kun is a very good idea."

" Probably not, but it sure is entertaining." Shinra said in a sickeningly sweet smile. Kadota could swear there wasn't any innocence to find in a smile like that.

"Actually, Izaya asked me to tell you that he needs to speak with you." Shinra's smile faltered.

"What about?"

"Didn't say. Just said it was important and you need to go up to the clubroom." Shinra shifted slightly making Kadota curious about just what Izaya was cooking up this time.

"It's probably nothing but I should go check anyway." Amazing he just got all smiley again so easily. He must be a good actor. "Hey, you mind keeping a look out for Shizuo-kun for me."

"Sorry, I gotta head home early today and I'm already pretty late."

Shinra sighed, these 'gods of friendship' weren't making this easy for him. _'Looks like Shizuo won this round,'_

"That's okay, I'll see you later."

Kadota lazily slung his bag over his shoulder and gave a slight bow as he made for the exit.

By the time he had left Shinra was making his way to the clubroom. Practically leaving a dust cloud in his wake. If he hurried he could make it in time to scold Shizuo on the way back and help Izaya too. The 'friendship gods' would be pleased, even if one of his friends was a complete asshole like Izaya.

**Shizuo!**

Once the coast was clear he had basically sprinted out of the room that was his tiled prison. His face held a somewhat goofy smile as he ran through the halls. Any other day he would be embarrassed of this display. But right now he was just so happy at the prospect of finally going home without stupid Shinra tagging along. Ah yes, peace at last.

He jogged down the stairs keeping his momentum in check. Falling down the stairs would put a damper on his good mood. When he heard the sound of scuffling shoes coming from the floor below him. Weird, he thought everybody had left already. Oh god no. A delinquent looking teen stared up at him confirming his fears.

"There he is, get em." His jog turned into a mad dash for the exit. Nearly causing the other teen to lose his balance. His posse followed suit with makeshift weapons in hand. Why today? Everything was going so well. He just answered his own question. Just when things go right that annoying flea makes things ten times worse than the last. Some things never change.

The exit came into view making his heart pound faster. Screw the backpack and his walking shoes, just run. But just when freedom was at his fingertips it was once again stolen. This time it was a wall of deadbeats instead of his troublesome companion. He made a hard turn avoiding the barrier of felons. At this point his body was just carrying him with pure adrenaline running through his veins. These people would just not give up. He made a bunch of quick turns hoping they'd run out of breath so he could make his quick escape. His feet dug into the ground as he almost smacked against the wall. A dead end. _Shit, wrong turn!' _A grimy hand reached out and touched his shoulder.

"Ha! Got ya," his loud voice was amplified by the empty hall and his bad breath made Shizuo shake in anger. "Hey boss, we got 'im!" His firm grip stayed locked on his shoulder. It made the blonde's head snap towards him.

"Just shut the hell up!" he said with a menacing glare and a voice full of venom. The greasy thug looked back as if giving a warning.

"Hey what'd you say to me?" Shizuo just glared daggers into his skull prompting the delinquent to do the same trying his hardest to look just as menacing despite the height difference. Shizuo's eye twitched as the putrid smell of alcohol and what could only be described as death fanned across his face. His balled up fist got even tighter as he fought the idea of shooting this guy to kingdom come.

"Leave him alone, Ryou." They both turned toward the voice giving Shizuo's nose some much needed relief. What he saw was unimpressive. Just some generic delinquent with what looked like a wooden katana in hand. "He's mine."

"Sorry boss." The greasy thug said reluctantly unhanding the blonde. _'So this is their 'boss' , eh?' _On further inspection he realized how ugly he was. Wiry beard, hefty chest full of hair, thinning hair and Shizuo didn't have to be that close to know his breath was just as awful. _'Of course this is their boss.'_

"I hear you're pretty strong around these parts. So I've come here to test that out." The smirk made his already unsightly face even harder to look at. It was almost like a train wreck you just can't look away even though its a tragedy. He just stared wondering just how ugly a person can get. How long has this guy been in high school? Did he want to know?

"Hey Blondie, you hard of hearing?!" Oh yeah he was supposed to be intimidated, thanks generic hoodlum number nine. The previous smirk on their leaders face turned into a deep line, it made him look a lot worse. He brought the wooden katana up to Shizuo's chest and dug it in condescendingly. It brought the familiar sensation of pure rage into his stomach. This time he didn't fight it.

"Looks like we'll have to teach this guy a few manners, right boys!" As the others responded in agreement. The rage tensed with the irritating sounds. Shizuo threw his head back and clashed it against the oily one in front of him with a loud Thwack. The impact was enough to knock the gang leader out but he immediately regretted it. He got up close and personal with the grossest thing he'd ever seen and it only fueled his anger to its boiling point As the unconscious body fell to a heap on the ground the cheers stopped. In a way it was comedic, but Shizuo wasn't laughing.

Before anybody could say anything Shizuo let out a vicious roar that made the others realize their mistake. Oh that did it. That was it. Once he got to this point there was no stopping him. Luckily, some of them were smart enough to hightail it out of there. But of course others weren't fast enough as Shizuo effortlessly lifted one of them in the air. The delinquent emitted a girly squeal in shock as he was lifted into the air and tossed haphazardly into the others. The impact caused them to fall like bowling pins hitting the wall behind them with a loud slam. They were left moaning and writhing. With a noticeable indentation in the wall.

It got the best of him. He couldn't say he was surprised. He'll probably receive punishment tomorrow for breaking the wall. This is something only he could be capable of. He nervously scratched the back of his neck at the thought of Kazuki- sensei's reaction. Sure she was short and not at all threatening, but ever since that whole pranking incident, well let's just say Shinra never laughed so hard at Shizuo's expense. Boy, did he get a lecture that day. The best thing to do now is leave before any other surprises happen. Izaya wasn't one for playing fair that's for sure.

He turned on his heel to leave nearly crashing into someone. They both jumped at the near contact he looked down only to find a girl staring up at him. Of course escape wouldn't be that easy, so Izaya got someone to witness the event and get him into even more trouble. There was something unsettling about her though, she was wearing a mask. The mask was starch white and the only noticeable distinction from the white were the two large black holes where the eyes should be. Underneath the gaping holes was a crudely painted on smile. She was like something out of a horror movie, especially with that pale skin reminiscent of one of those china dolls. Her hair was cut way shorter than any girl he'd ever seen. The only thing normal about her was the uniform she wore. Without the skirt he would probably think she was a he. This was Izaya's master plan? Putting this girl in the middle of their game? What was he up to.

He saw that she was holding a wooden katana in her left hand. Wasn't that the same one that guy had with him with earlier? He looked at the sword and back to her as if asking how she got it. If she was with the other guys he would have most definitely seen her. Calm down, it's not like she's some paranormal creature. Right? _Right?_ No, that would be ridiculous. She's just a normal girl with a somewhat questionable style. He tried to break his eyes away from her soulless black sockets. It was a little bit challenging but he managed to pry his eyes away. He's probably made her uncomfortable by looking at her for so long. She continued to stare as if he was the weird looking one.

"Hey, you" before he could finish his statement he was met with a katana smacking him on the head. It had completely caught him off guard, she was faster than he expected. She continued to drum into his skull ignoring his growing scowl. It was as if she was afraid to let him finish his sentence.

"Stop." He reached his hand and firmly grabbed the end of the blunt object. Stopping anymore hits from perforating his skull.

"Fucking." She to wriggle free from his grasp by pulling back. Hoping the katana will come with her.

"Hitting me!" He yelled tossing it behind him hitting one of the brutes on the head eliciting a pained moan. The force knocked her off her feet and onto her backside. It made such a loud sound that it made him physically feel sick. Without realizing it he took steps forward to try to see if she needed help. Before he could reach her she hurriedly got up not bothering to dust herself off. She was shaking and shrinking back away from him. He scared her. His eyes fell to the ground and he backed off. He didn't even try to stop her as she ran down the hall. Ran away from him.

_'Shit! Shit! Shit!' _The familiar mantra played in his head. Hurting a girl is something he could never forgive himself for. The stupid flea has gone too far this time. His shoulders slumped, you'd think he'd be used to this by now. People running away, people getting scared. He began to feel physically ill and decided to go home before anyone else came along.

A shimmer of light caught his glance as he was about to leave. On closer inspection it looked like a gold ring. He couldn't tell if it was real and had no way of telling. His mother usually wore a different jewelry than this so it had been the first time he'd been this close to gold anything. It was pretty shiny so maybe it is real. It was close to where she fell. Could it be hers? He quickly pocketed it feeling a little silly for doing so. Even if it was hers who is to say they will ever see each other again. Then he remembered Izaya and his eye twitched by reflex. Of course they would see each other again.

**Shinra!**

Another box landed in a clatter on top of a albeit messy stack. How many boxes had he stacked by now? one, two, does it even really matter Shinra's muscles screamed for him to stop. He really needed to workout or at least try a little harder in gym class. He wiped sweat from his brow and looked over to his sneaky friend. Izaya still wasn't paying attention. He'd been looking out the window this entire time. Shinra sighed and his usually cheerful expression had become bleak.

"Remind me again, why am I doing this?"

"It's your club isn't it." Izaya stated not breaking his gaze from the window.

"You're in the club too you know." Shinra said picking up yet another box to put onto the never ending stack.

"I got injured doing gym class remember." Izaya said in a cheery voice pointing to his wrist. Shinra's eyes rolled so far into his head he swore he saw his brain. Oh yeah that sudden injury. They both knew that was bullshit but Shinra said nothing. Anything to get home faster to Celty was the best thing to do.

"Didn't you say someone was coming to help me."

"Yes but it looks like Haru- chan had more important things to do." Another box on the pile of empty promises and many more to come.

"That's enough for today, you can go home." Izaya said suddenly. His eyebrow arched at Izaya's strange behavior.

"Are you sure?" Shinra asked. It's not like he wanted to stay to help. It's more like he wanted to stay and see what Izaya's whole stunt was about.

Izaya averted his eyes from the window for the first time. "You wouldn't want to keep Celty waiting would you." Oh right Celty must be worried about him. Even though it was in a mock tone Shinra didn't seem to notice the jape.

"Well alright," Shinra quickly swung his pack around and turned to leave. "See ya tomorrow." he waved and sprinted down the hall not waiting for a reply.

Bounding down the hall he noticed his stoic friend.

"Hey, Shizuo!" Shinra ran to catch up to his side. Shizuo stared at him with a hint of what looked like disappointment. Shinra couldn't imagine why that was. The whole way home Shinra prattled on about his day and Celty, not bothering to bring up Izaya as to not incite rage. He didn't care if Shizuo didn't respond the whole time.

**Author's Notes: **Well this took a lot longer than I expected. For you guys it was days for me it was a month because I'm lazy. I'm more happy with this chapter than the first one to be honest. Oh well can't be helped. If you guys didn't know already I'm going to be starting college part time in January so chapters are going to be coming out less frequently. Also this is my first fanfiction so it's probably not going to be that good. It'll be fun though I'll make sure of that.


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